Doing better since the allergy meds. I was able to get out and test the pond chemistry, and we should be at a ph of 6.8 to 8.2; we’re at 8.3. A Kh (or alkalinity) of 100-200 ppm, and we’re at 80—this affects the function of bacteria who are supposed to break down waste. It’s related to ph, but is the reading you want to adjust. Our gh (general hardness) is 60, which is excellent. Our nitrate, nitrite and ammonia are all near 0, no ammonia, which is good: ammonia is lethal. And a temperature of 50: we want 60-65.
Hence the order with Amazon for 13 pounds of baking soda. 5 cups a day until we reach an optimum 150 kh reading.
I do this routinely for the marine tank. We’re getting the pond in shape. And the kh rise will help keep the algae down.
We have a pretty high evaporation rate in the summer, and I’ll be tracking the kh particularly on this set-up. We’ve also got our new winter aerator device, which a koi website does say works well.
And we’ll be looking for baby fishes soon.
Yay for baby fishes. Like somebody else said, how can you not get a red and black one?
We may not repopulate totally the first year: my first priorities are the yamabuki ogon (gold short-fin), the platinum butterfly fin; and I’d like a kohaku shortfin. (You can look these up for pix.) And Jane wants a shisui and an orange one—don’t know the name on that one. Beyond that, we will be able, I think, to find the Banichi and Jago type. Red and black is a little harder to lay hands on, but we will be looking.
One might suppose the Platinum could stand-in as an acceptable representative of the paidhi-aiji.
If it’s just baking soda, why not buy it at the grocery? Save on shipping, etc…..I found out that the pH UP chemical for my spa was just baking soda, but would cost $7.00 for a one-pound bottle, when a one-pound box of baking soda at the grocery could be gotten for as little as 45 cents (at Super Walmart). As long as the ingredients are 100% sodium bicarbonate, it shouldn’t matter, should it?
Way cheaper in bulk. At the supermarket it’s about 7-8 dollars a pound. Pennies per pound in big bags at the feed store. Amazing the mark-up for little amounts. And i’m still unable to drive, so I ordered from Amazon. If you pay the dues for Prime membership, which also gives you video streaming, you get free second-day shipping. It’s not good for everything, but for some purchases,yes.
Baking soda at 7 – 8 dollars a pound? That’s surprising. I buy the 1 pound boxes at the Super Walmart for less than a dollar each….as long as it says 100% sodium bicarbonate, it’s no different from what I would buy at the pool/spa shop to increase the pH.
That’s if you buy it in itty bitty packages. The cost per pound skyrockets. Same with flour, rice, beans, all sorts of bulk staples.
I’ve often wondered at that myself; when one buys a 20oz soda at a Mickey’s or some such place as compared with a 2L bottle at the grocery. I’ve come to the conclusion the “premium” is less about “it comes with lunch” as much as the convenience of not dealing with any “leftovers”. “Guilt-free disposability” one might say. Some such transactions are far from new.
Just be sure to take video, ’cause I bet the checker’s expression will be priceless!
One of the super-duper warehouse stores (e.g. Costco or Walmart’s cousin?) for bulk purchase?
— Amazon makes buying some things much, much easier for me (transportation, time, money) — But I’ve discovered nearly *everything* that won’t fit in a little apt. p.o. box gets sent to the mgmt. ofc., not to the apt. dweller’s door. Plus or minus, the staff there are going to know me and exactly how much and how often I order anything.
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Convergence: The Kindle ebook chose to hyphenate “Mospheira” as Mo-spheira instead of Mos-pheira. This means the difference between an open or closed syllable and a long or short vowel for most readers. (Not to mention, it breaks the preferred hyphenation rules for English words/syllables.) It made me wonder if Ragi and Mosphei’ play by different rules for that. But my understanding was, it should be, “Mos-phei-ra,” short o, p+h-aspirate or f, ei = eh-ee (English ay), rah or ruh (a very short ah as in Latin short a or German short a, not long ah and not [æ] as in cat.
Kindle’s new Bookerley typeface looks nice and their new layout / hyphenation / justification is much better than the old one.
Last night was a late night; we had guests until after 11:00, and didn’t get to bed until nearly 1:00. We ain’t much up to that any more! Of course, the cats didn’t care about our problems, just breakfast at the usual 6 a.m., and reminded us of our duties loudly.
Today we found that DH’s Honda battery was dying, so we had to make a trip into town and find a replacement and install it. Then laundry, then probably I will need to mow the lawn, which hasn’t slowed down for lack of rain these past 2 weeks and the sticker weeds are knee high. My allergies also decided to flare again, probably because of vog. Early bed tonight is starting to sound like a plan.
A lot of the stuff I buy through Amazon is stuff I can’t get locally. Sometimes this is a one-horse town when it comes to some things. I can’t get ChiaoGoo knitting needles here (which I love). Plus, being a prime member, I can order stuff and get it in two days without having to drive anywhere or wait for store hours to coincide with my hours. I can shop any time and it gets delivered, most of the time within two days.
Our relative hum yesterday was 7%. That loud sucking noise you heard yesterday evening was me putting Nivea cream on my hands and feet. . . .
Out here back of Bourke, even Amazon Prime doesn’t get things to us in a timely fashion. I’ve been waiting for over a week for a small table for DH’s new joystick setup (ThrustMaster for Elite Dangerous), and it doesn’t appear they’ve even shipped it yet. Amazon, even with Prime, simply won’t ship some things here, like food or furniture larger that the aforementioned small folding table. I buy some oddball things from ebay, like the file powder I got yesterday because I want to make gumbo in the next couple of weeks. Maybe next time I return to the old homestead on the mainland, I should just pick a double handful of sassafras leaves and dry them, rather than pay that much for an ounce of dried powdered leaves.
As soon as I put away the mower yesterday, I felt a drop, then another… I may as well have done a rain dance; it drizzled on and off all night. Add ‘mowing lawn’ to list of things that will make it rain, like ‘watering the garden’ or ‘washing the car.’ Naturally, with rain, the weeds will be back within a week. Grrr.
And more D’oh! Most of the morning was spent cutting up the branches I trimmed off of the plumeria a couple weeks back. I filled the wheelbarrow and moved it over to where I’m making a log pile until such time as I can fit the offcuts into my green waste bin. I didn’t pay attention to balance and fulcrums, the wheelbarrow tipped, and the handle whacked me a good one upside the head. I got an ice pack on it soon enough it won’t bruise much, but I have a glorious goose egg on my forehead 😛
Ouch!!!! I have a Bradford pear tree in my back yard to match the one in the front. One of the branches was very low and I’d hit it whenever I’d walk under the branch. Another branch was pressing down on the telephone wires, so I got out the chainsaw this past winter and cut both of those branches. Saturday, my neighbor asked if she could have the branches for her patio fireplace, since her teenaged kids like to have a fire on the patio. Of course! I also had older branches I’d cut in years past stacked in the back of the yard, so I brought those up, too, and let her know which ones were oldest and would burn more readily. The pieces that were too long for her fireplace, I cut up with the chainsaw. She’s always worried that the kids make too much noise and bother me, and I’ve assured her that I hardly know that they’re out on the patio, and even if I do know, they’re so quiet, you really don’t notice them. So, if they have a good time with the patio fireplace, then I’m glad to have made a small part of that possible.
Very good of you 🙂
I’m always gambling with Mother Nature when the fall weather will let be get my latest mowing. Last fall it basically went from dry to wet and cold instantly and never looked back. I never did get the last mow I hoped for, after which I expect to change the oil and run it dry. Like horses, mowers should never be “ridden hard and put up wet”. I paid for it this afternoon, changing “well drained into the crankcase” cold oil (not generally done), filling the not quite empty tank with fresh gas, (battery charger had been on it for a few days last week), and encouraging it to start with a couple sprays of high volitility “starting fluid”. But it did run for a while this evening. Tomorrow I’ll sharpen the blades, and this weekend mow, hopefully.
This time of year I need two dry and sunny days in a row. The first is “mow and throw”. The second I go over again with the catcher on to pick up the somewhat drier, fluffier clippings that can be blown up the chute. Fresh clippings now are too heavy and just clog. At the best of times it takes me an hour, there’s about an acre to my “obstacle course”.
Huh. Some time back, I’d signed up for Lulu.com and Smashwords.com. Lulu sends me email regularly.
But today, I got something from Lulu Jr., which urges readers / fellow authors / customers to support Lulu Jr. for Young Authors, including providing book-making kits. (No, not for placing bets, one presumes, haha.)
This was notable enough to pass along here, as authors and readers, librarians and booksellers will be interested if they don’t already know.
I’ll look into it when I can, later this week.
Urgently needed dental appt. this afternoon, to see what he/she can do on a long-term plan to repair and replace my teeth. I do not look forward to the experience itself, or the cost, but it ~must~ happen, too long delayed due to no money. To have a decent smile again, to have good teeth again, will be more than worth it.
Soft foods or liquids for a late supper, if I can handle anything. The same tomorrow, likely. I’m expecting teeth cleaning and x-rays today, possibly antibiotics or other meds, in prep for whatever is the next step, fillings and caps, or dental implants, or full dentures, all might be possible. Yes, my teeth are in very bad shape. So it will be good to get started. But, aaiiee.
Saw the dentist, who saw me coming. — But maybe I can get dental, eye, and general health insurance in some form before I have to begin dental work. — Teeth are so bad that if I have work done on some possibly salvageable, those still could go in five years. A few need to be pulled, no saving them. The remainder, not in good shape either.
The most likely option is full dental implants with root canals before. Estimated prices, around $30K to $50K, not including the oral surgeon’s work. And those prices are their low estimate.
That is a substantial portion of what I got from closing on sale of my former house.
So I really want social security disability to be in process (still have to start it) and I want health insurance, both eye and dental. (Yes are a pre-existing condition from birth.)
Eye care will be the priority. I think that will actually cost less than the dental. Possibly a good bit less.
I’m so stunned, I can’t even begin to cuss on that.
Next Tuesday is the rescheduled assessment for mobility and vocational rehabilitation and other needs through the state. (Texas Workforce Commission, Division of Blind Services, do note what gets priority there.) Full-day appointment, personal, work, education history and skills assessed, you name it, it’s in there.
My caseworker with them was new when Blind Svcs. was swallowed up by Workforce, back in September. This month, I find she’s no longer with them. Not good. no new caseworker as yet assigned. Worse. But my case is still active and being worked on… SEVEN months later. (To be fair, they want soc. sec. resolved before they’ll proceed, even though they have an eye doctor’s certificate saying yes, she saw me, examined me herself, and yes, I’m indeed legally blind from birth.) …. Sigh ….
Oh, how I wish our country had a better, comprehensive health care system, unhindered by insurance companies and political tomfoolery.
I want and need eye care to proceed. I want and need dental care to proceed. I need health insurance to defray the cost, even with savings now. And I still have to navigate through (with an attorney’s help) to get approved for social security disability, in order to get federal assistance and in order to get state assistance.
The eye doctor wanted me to see a retinal specialist back in October. — But once I can get that done, and cataract surgery done (if I’m OK’d for it) that will help enormously. — My teeth will remain To Do until I can get insurance, clearly. Aarrgh.
Where is Dr. McCoy when you really need him? Aarrgh.
SSDI is not an automatic thing. In theory you have to be incapable of performing any job anywhere in the economy for 20 hours a week. If you can find one, get an SSDI attorney–SSA will pay the bill. The attorney should charge you nothing.
If you get on Medicare, pre-existing conditions won’t matter, but I’m not sure they do dental.
BCS, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you get through all the paperwork to get a disability pension and especially to get some form of insurance, Medicaid or whatever.
I think Texas, being one of those Republican-to-the-point-of-idiocy states, did not take the Medicaid expansion under the ACA?
If you cannot get health insurance in Texas, you might need to research moving to a more people-friendly state that did take the Medicaid expansion option and does have healthcare insurance for most or all of their people.
If you’re not tied to Texas by family, your job, or your friends and social safety net, then moving to a state and city that takes better care of its low-income people and of people with disabilities seems like a viable option to explore. Not that you’d want to move again, having just moved to this appartment!
TX did not expand…but we’re getting close to politics, here.
Sorry, I did not intend to ‘diss’ anything and everything Republican. Some Republican ideas are good, like balancing the budget. Some are quite bad, in the eyes of most people from other affluent Western societies, like leaving millions of Americans without access to healthcare except for hospital emergency room services.
I sometimes wish it could be possible to debate each separate issue on the evidence and on the goals for that issue, and how best to achieve them, again bolstered by evidence of what works, and what results from similar measures tried elsewhere.
I understand that American politics have become extremely polarized, so that holding to the party line through thick and thin has become the norm, instead of working together to solve specific problems. That makes any kind of open discussion of any issue touched by politics impossible, which is not a sustainable situation for a society in the long run, it seems to me. Humanity has always been fairly balanced between the more progressively-inclined and the more conservatively-inclined halves, and both sides are necessary, and need each other, to get a well-functioning and future-proof society as a whole.
Looking at each issue separately, on its merits and the available evidence, seems to me to be the most productive way to get out of the impasse. As the politicians are the most entrenched in the impasse, getting all the ordinary people all the information available, and getting them to discuss the merits of the suggested solutions on the evidence available seems one of the few ways of breaking through the deadlock your country is in.
On the other hand, I do understand CJ’s blog is not the place for such discussions, and I will keep off the topic henceforth.
It’s just hard, when you hear of someone who is directly suffering the crunch of abstract policies on their personal lives, not to want to do something to help. And having run out of financial room to support more American artists suffering health-related financial troubles, tackling the system that causes those crunches feels like the next necessary step, even if it’s not my country… it’s one of the perils of the Internet, getting attached to far off people you cannot really help when they need it, I guess.
Stepping off my soapbox now, and shutting up.
Hanneke, I appreciated the advice, and considered it non-partisan and not too political. I wasn’t at all offended. 🙂
BCS, as you’re in Texas and getting interested in your new Spanish-speaking neighbors, this post at Book View Cafe about alternate views of Texas history might have an interesting pointer or two for you (I haven’t read any of the books mentioned, so I’m not sure).